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Biography

Sydney, Australia
(1964 – 1969)

The Easybeats were a rock and roll band of the 60s from Australia. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and split at the end of 1969. They are widely regarded as one of the greatest Australian bands of the swinging sixties and were the first Australian act to score an international pop/rock hit with their classic 1966 single “Friday on My Mind”, which has appeared in many albums since (however the folk pop group The Seekers had international hits in 1965). Their manager was former Sydney real estate agent, Mike Vaughan.

The band’s line-up exemplifies the influence of post-war migration on Australian society. All five founding members were from families who had migrated to Australia from Europe; lead singer Stevie Wright was from London, rhythm guitarist George Young (who is the older brother of the AC/DC members Angus and Malcolm Young) was from Glasgow, lead guitarist Harry Vanda and bassist Dick Diamonde were from The Netherlands, and drummer Gordon “Snowy” Henry Fleet was from Bootle, Liverpool, England. In 1967, with the departure of Snowy Fleet from the group, Tony Cahill became the Easybeat’s drummer.

Cannot underplay the charisma and impact these lads had during their all too brief career, were pretty much Australia's Beatles and Stones rolled into one. Stevie was barely 17 when Friday on My Mind came out and was out of work and onto a downward spiral by the age of 21. Then bang! Evie in the mid 70's. Credit to him to still being alive and being able to recall those good times with a cheeky grin and a sense of humour intact.

A great Australian verison of the British Invasion sound. I'm reading "AC/DC: Maximum rock "n' Roll" and it talks about how these guys, including George Young, kind of blazed the path for his brothers to follow, although the Easybeats were very different (no kidding) from the "Young-er" band. (-: